13 Movies That Are Perfect for Father’s Day

People fret about Father’s Day gifts, but they shouldn’t. Any dad will tell you: “I don’t need more ties. Or underwear.” Also, that’s what Christmas is for. Any time spent selecting the perfect gift is wasted time, in that what our dads really want for Father’s Day is time with us—moreover, quality time. It’s not as though two hours in front of the TV is the same as a heart-to-heart, but one of Hollywood’s great gifts to the world is its ability to bring people together. You can do a lot worse than spend some time on the couch with your dad on Father’s Day, bonding over a movie. We’re not saying that you shouldn’t go to dinner, or buy gifts, or write a card, or heck, spend a whole weekend, but if you need an excuse to spend a few hours on the couch this Sunday, these are the movies that perfect to watch with dad.

LoganIn a nutshellIn a near future, when mutants are all but extinct, an aging, faltering Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), accompanied by a similarly past-his-best-before-date Professor X, races against time to save a little girl whose powers resemble his own.

Finding NemoIn a NutshellA widowed father clown fish (voiced by Albert Brooks) goes on a wild adventure in the deep blue sea after being separated from his single spawn, Nemo.

EssentiallyGo fish!

Why It’s Perfect for Dad’s DayAlbert Brooks, even with gills, makes for the ultimate sympathetic character. You can’t help but root for this guy.

MoonlightIn a NutshellSet in Miami, Florida, the film explores the defining moments in the coming-of-age of Chiron, whose struggles with his drug-addicted single mother, poverty, and sexual identity are explored in three stages.

EssentiallyThe polar opposite of Gossip Girl.

Why It’s Perfect for Dad’s DayBarry Jenkins’s Best Picture winner, filmed on a shoestring and featuring some of the most searing, poetic scenes of this century, is not a story about fathers, but one about fatherlessness, mentorship, self-discovery, and the battle therein.

Father of the BrideIn a NutshellCowritten by rom-com mastermind Nancy Meyers, it’s the story of a father (Steve Martin) who, upon learning of his oldest daughter’s engagement, has a difficult time letting go.

EssentiallyThe Reluctant Member of the Wedding.

Why It’s Perfect for Dad’s DayNo one plays seething-but-loveable like Martin, and this lighthearted comedy perfectly captures both a father’s need to protect, and a daughter’s need to break free.

TakenIn a NutshellWhen the daughter of a former CIA operative (Liam Neeson) is kidnapped by human traffickers, he uses his very specific skill set to get her back.

EssentiallyDon’t piss off her dad.

Why It’s Perfect for Dad’s DayNot exactly an exercise in feminism, this remains a perfectly paced action film that pits a slightly older, but well-cast Neeson against a host of baddies who could not be more evil. The result is zero sympathy when the bone-breaking begins, which makes for a very easy, popcorn-munching, experience.

HannaIn a NutshellHanna, a young teenager raised in the European wilderness by her former operative father (Eric Bana)—who trains her to be the ultimate assassin—is sent on a mission into the civilized world. Pursued by ruthless agents (headed by Cate Blanchett), the story becomes a voyage of self-discovery as well as survival.

EssentiallyHeidi, but with killing.

Why It’s Perfect for Dad’s DayComing-of-age stories often come with a parental break—that’s part of growing up, after all—but this vastly underrated and very strange film raises the stakes by adding lethal, unpredictable, danger, combined with a very unique reckoning between a teen and the real world. It’s an interesting exploration of the idea that parents want their kids to be like them, but better. The soundtrack, by The Chemical Brothers, is also badass.

The Pursuit of HappynessIn a NutshellWill Smith plays a down-on-his-luck single dad who finds himself homeless and desperately vying for an internship at a financial firm so that he can provide a decent life for his son.

EssentiallyLate-in-life Horatio Alger.

Why It’s Perfect for Dad’s DayThe struggle for survival here is financial, which tends to be the reality—or at least closer to it—for many of us. Smith’s character’s situation might be extreme, but he makes us believe—unlike in other performances, such as I, Robot and After Earth—that the future he’s fighting for is worthy of his most profound efforts.

BeginnersIn a NutshellEwan McGregor plays a graphic designer whose recently widowed father comes out of the closet and gains a new lease on life.

EssentiallyYour parents’ marriage is a lie, but that’s okay, they know what they’re doing.

Why It’s Perfect for Dad’s DayA great deal of this tale is told in flashback, and while it’s a thoughtful meditation on love and memory, it also paints an absorbing picture of the sacrifices our parents make, the lies they tell, and the struggles they endure to make our own lives better.

Meet The ParentsIn a NutshellHoping to propose to his girlfriend, Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) is nervous to meet her family for the first time, and he should be. His fiancée’s gruff father (Robert DeNiro) used to be a CIA intel officer, is suspicious of Greg, and has a nose for BS.

EssentiallyYour parents have to love you, not your mate.

Why It’s Perfect for Dad’s DayThis movie should be seen by anyone who’s ever brought a boyfriend or girlfriend home, or has hosted the same. Everyone can sympathize. DeNiro is flawless in his severity as the doubting dad, and Stiller is at his best when trying to clean up self-made messes. Plus, it’s really funny, and who doesn’t like funny?

The DescendantsIn a NutshellWhen his adulterous wife falls into a coma, Hawaii-based lawyer Matt King (George Clooney)—who is in the midst of deciding what do with millions of dollars worth of inherited land—must learn to deal with his young daughter, her troubled older sister (Shailene Woodley), and the flotsam left by his wife’s affair.

EssentiallyTrouble in paradise!

Why It’s Perfect for Dad’s DayAll dads are clueless, until they’re not. All teenagers are kind of jerks, until they’re not. This film was Woodley’s breakout, and she’s luminescent, but not without Clooney. The father-daughter tension, as well as the triumph of their eventual mutual understanding, is expertly, and artfully, presented.

The Royal TenenbaumsIn a NutshellAs they’ve reached their mid-30s, the much-lauded genius children of Etheline (Angelica Huston) and Royal (Gene Hackman) Tenenbaum have plateaued—hard. This is the story of how they managed to come together—in the face of their estranged father’s illness—and move on.

EssentiallyFather definitely does not always know best.

Why It’s Perfect for Dad’s DayHackman’s portrayal of Royal is one of the great asshole performances of comedies, and is as satisfying on screen as anything Wes Anderson has done. His mistreatment of his children, underlined by his feeble attempts at redemption, not only make for great comedy, but hit home with anyone with less-than-perfect parents (spoiler: that’s all of us).

Indiana Jones and the Last CrusadeIn a NutshellIn his third onscreen adventure, Indy (Harrison Ford) must enlist the help of his father, the demanding and superior Dr. Henry Jones (Sean Connery), to embark on a quest for the Holy Grail.

EssentiallyIt’s okay to punch Nazis in the face.

Why It’s Perfect for Dad’s DayIt takes a certain kind of superhuman obnoxiousness—perhaps only the kind we reserve for our parents—to unnerve Indiana Jones, and Sean Connery carries it off beautifully here. He’s all of our parents—who know best, get under our skin, and are ultimately, unfortunately, right.

Big DaddyIn a NutshellA lawyer (Jon Stewart) is about to leave the country when a 5-year-old he’s apparently fathered is dropped off on his doorstop. The solution: His layabout best bud (Adam Sandler) steps in and takes charge of the child, who turns his world upside down.

EssentiallyYou can learn a lot from a little.

Why It’s Perfect for Dad’s DayThe father figure coming into his own, while learning about parenting, is a tried-and-true trope. What sets this movie apart is Sandler’s utter charm and amenable vulnerability while he navigates the perils of sudden, improvised parenthood. We learn with him, which is terrifying, but also hilarious, and chances are you’ll leave the watching experience with a little more empathy for your dear old dad than you had when you went in.